One of the scariest consequences of contracting COVID-19 is the aftermath. Long Covid, a neologism that refers to long-term side effects which appear after the virus has cleared one's body, occurs in at least 10 percent of patients who contract COVID-19. And while symptoms vary, long Covid can leave people with devastating and debilitating side effects. Internal tremors and vibrations, depression, or a lasting loss of taste and smell are all possible symptoms of long Covid, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection as it is formally known.
While not much is known about why some people get long Covid and others don't, a growing body of research suggests that people who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are slightly less likely to develop long-term COVID-19 symptoms. Perhaps surprisingly, the degree to which the risk of long Covid is reduced in the vaccinated is not great. That's according to a new study published in Nature Medicine, which is believed to be the largest peer-reviewed study on long Covid and breakthrough COVID-19 cases based in the United States. Their findings are particularly surprising given how much vaccines appear to protect against serious COVID-19 cases; indeed, those who are vaccinated and who have a breakthrough case of COVID typically have mild cases.
